JAY-JAY POV
"You're not going anywhere until I say so," Eden said, pointing at me like she owned the air I breathed.
"Until then, go and pick a room," she added, waving her hand at everyone else like they were luggage she was tired of looking at.
I didn't move.
I didn't even blink.
I just stared at her.
"Go," she repeated, sharper this time.
I tightened my grip on Keifer's shirt, still pressed against him, still feeling his heartbeat under my cheek. His arms stayed around me, steady, protective, refusing to let me go even for a second.
"I don't need your permission in my own house," I said, my voice low but steady.
The room shifted.
I stood there — bruised, shaken, still in Keifer's arms — and told her the one truth she couldn't stand:
She didn't control me.
Not anymore.
Keifer's arms tightened around me just a little, like he was silently saying I've got you. Keep going.
Eden's eyes narrowed.
"Jay," she said slowly, "don't test me."
I lifted my chin.
"Too late."
I didn't wait for her to answer.
"Let's go," I said to Keifer.
He nodded once — sharp, decisive — and kept his arm around me as we headed upstairs. Section E and the others followed behind us like a silent army, every step echoing through the hallway.
Eden didn't stop us.
We reached my door, and my heart squeezed tight. I raised my hand and knocked gently.
"Raffy, it's me. Jay‑Jay," I said, knocking again, softer this time.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then—
A tiny shuffle.
A click.
And the door cracked open just enough for a small, scared face to peek out.
Raffy's eyes were wide, red‑rimmed, terrified.
He didn't even hesitate—he ran straight into my arms.
"Ate…" he whispered, voice shaking.
I hugged him back immediately, pulling him close, one hand on the back of his head, the other wrapped around his tiny shoulders. He was trembling. My heart broke a little more.
"It's okay," I murmured. "I'm here now."
Behind me, Keifer's voice was gentle but urgent.
"Where is Keigan?"
Raffy sniffed and pointed inside the room.
Keifer met my eyes.
I nodded.
He stepped past me and into the room.
Keigan was curled up on the bed, knees to his chest, eyes red from crying. The moment he saw Keifer, his face crumpled.
"Kuya…"
Keifer didn't say a word.
He crossed the room in two steps and pulled Keigan into his arms, hugging him tight—one hand on the back of his head, the other wrapped protectively around his shoulders.
Keigan clung to him like he'd been holding his breath this whole time.
Raffy tightened his grip on me, burying his face in my shirt.
Section E stood in the hallway behind us—silent, watchful, forming a protective wall without needing to be told.
"Let's go inside," I said quietly.
They all nodded.
No questions.
No hesitation.
Just trust.
Keifer guided me in first, his hand still on my back like he wasn't taking any chances after what happened downstairs.
Raffy stayed glued to my side
The moment we stepped inside, the room felt different—safer, warmer, like the chaos outside couldn't reach us here.
Keifer closed the door behind us, and the soft click felt like a shield dropping into place.
Section E filtered in after us, filling the room with their presence—loud personalities suddenly quiet, chaotic energy replaced with something fierce and protective.
I sat on the bed, Raffy still holding onto my sleeve, Keigan tucked safely in Keifer's arms.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "You guys weren't supposed to be dragged into my mess."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"Yeah, right. Like we would stay still if you tell us," Ci‑n said, rolling his eyes so hard it looked painful.
A few of the others snorted, the tension in the room easing just a little.
But then David stepped forward, gentle as always, his brows pulled together in worry.
"But still, Jay… who is that? And what is happening here?"
Everyone turned to me.
"The lady is Eden, and she is our aunt," Jare said, voice steady but tight. "She wants Jay's and my inheritance that we got from our parents. And… there's more to the inheritance. That's why she wants Jay, because—"
He stopped.
His jaw clenched.
His eyes flicked toward me, then away.
Like saying it out loud would make everything worse.
"Because what?" Yuri asked, stepping forward.
Jare looked at him.
Really looked.
Then sighed.
"Look, Hanamitchi… no offense," Jare said, rubbing the back of his neck, "but I don't feel like telling this to you."
Yuri blinked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean."
"It means," Jare snapped, "Eden wasn't supposed to know where Jay and Raffy were. But she did. Which means someone is feeding her information."
The room stiffened.
"So for now," he continued, voice low, "I can't trust anyone in here."
Edrix raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think we can trust you."
Rory stepped forward. "Yeah. For all we know, you're the one leaking information about Jay."
Jare's head whipped toward him.
"What makes you think I would ever give away anything about my own sister?" he snapped, voice cracking with anger.
Silence.
Then—
Every pair of eyes slowly turned to me.
"Oh dear god," I muttered, dropping backward onto the bed like my soul had just left my body.
I threw an arm over my face. "Percy, explain."
Percy sighed—the long‑suffering, I've-been-waiting-for-this-moment sigh—and stepped forward.
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands once like he was about to start a PowerPoint presentation. "Here's the rundown about Jay, Jas, and Jare."
Everyone leaned in.
Percy started explaining—calm, clear, like he'd rehearsed this a hundred times.
Names, inheritance, Eden, the past… all of it spilling out in a way that made the room go quiet.
But before he could get halfway through, Keifer moved.
He came to me with a first aid kit in his hands, his expression tight with worry. He didn't say anything—he didn't need to. He just sat beside me on the bed and gently tilted my chin up.
My breath caught.
His fingers were warm against my skin, careful as he brushed my hair aside to see the bruise forming on my forehead.
"Hold still," he murmured, voice low enough that only I could hear.
The room kept listening to Percy, but their eyes kept flicking toward us—toward Keifer leaning close, toward me letting him.
He opened the kit and started treating my forehead with slow, precise movements, like I was something fragile he refused to break.
"Okay, let's leave the love birds. There are many rooms in this house," Percy announced, waving everyone toward the hallway like he owned the place.
Aries paused at the door, eyes flicking between me and Keifer like he was debating whether to stay and supervise.
I mouthed, "Please."
He groaned dramatically, rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful, and muttered something under his breath as he walked out.
Raffy hesitated for a second
I brushed his hair gently.
"It's okay. Go with Kuya."
He nodded and slipped out, Keigan following right behind him
The door clicked softly behind them.
And suddenly the room felt quieter.
Keifer leaned in before I could even process the silence, his hand still cupping the side of my face. He pressed a kiss to my forehead—gentle, steady, and definitely longer than necessary.
"Don't do that again," he murmured, his forehead resting lightly against mine. "You scared me."
I nodded, swallowing hard.
"I won't."
His thumb brushed my cheek again—slow, careful, almost hesitant—like he was still making sure I wasn't going to disappear if he blinked.
"Jay… I don't know what's happening," he said softly, voice rough with everything he wasn't saying, "but I will always stay with you."
Something in my chest cracked.
"I know," I whispered.
And then the weight of everything—Eden, the fear, the kids, the yelling, the threats, the bruises, the secrets—finally hit me all at once.
I leaned forward and pressed my face into his chest.
The moment I did, the tears came.
Keifer's arms wrapped around me instantly, one hand on the back of my head, the other around my shoulders, pulling me close like he'd been waiting for me to fall apart so he could catch me.
"It's okay," he murmured into my hair. "You're safe now. I've got you."
Then I pulled back and kissed him.
One second I was crying into his chest, and the next my hands were on his shoulders, my face lifting, and his breath was right there—warm, steady, waiting.
The kiss was soft. Gentle.
He kissed me back, slow and careful, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he moved too fast.
His hand slid to the side of my face, thumb brushing my cheek again, steadying me.
When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine, breathing a little unevenly.
"Jay…" he whispered, voice low and full of something I couldn't name.
I smilied, he smilied back